When an old storage bench was given to us, I knew exactly where to put it -at the foot of my bed! Additional storage? Yes please.

This is how it looked like before, imagine this with lot of dirt marks. I'm pretty sure I took a before picture of the bench, but it magically disappeared in the unknown crevices of this computer. So this image and your imagination should do the trick. Remember, plain old white storage bench with dirt marks all over!

The first thing I did was paint the lower part the same color as the dark wall (that photo disappeared together with the before picture). But it's okay, that's not the good part....

This is - the pattern I made using a plain grey fabric and a black bias tape.

I just laid out the tape like how I wanted it to be sewn...

and pin them to keep them in place. I then asked our sewer to do the grueling task of sewing the bias tape in place. Thank you again Yaya Tas!

Here's the newest addition to my ever changing room...

It holds tons of crap, the whole bottom part of the bench is storage! Love how the dark paint camouflage the drawers to make it look like one solid bench.

Although another pattern is added to the room, it doesn't clash with the bedding. The neutral color and geometric pattern doesn't take away from the bold pillow cases, but just adds interest to this side of the room.

The grey fabric was chosen to balance out the secretary and the dresser that act as the bedside table. By painting the bottom part of the bench that dark wall color, and bringing in the grey fabric, it ties both sides of the room together without being too overpowering.

I'm giddy with the newest pattern addition to this space, but as of today, it is hidden under a lot of junk! But that won't be the case for long, when this room is done, I'm hoping to keep all crap and junk under control.

My dream is to have a separate seating area in a bedroom, but for a limited space, this bench will do.

Do you have a seating area in your bedroom too? Does it attract junk as well? What's your trick to keep it organize? I'm all ears!

I slept like a baby last night, thanks to the new coordinated fun bedding.

Well, not really, it's just that I'm dead tired with all these house projects! But it's a great plus to lay your head on something pretty. :)

You don't have to spend tons for some nice bedding, one option is to buy your own fabric and just have it sewn. I guess I got lucky for having one great sewer under our roof!

(check out my trip to Divi here and both my fabric choices for the bedroom here)

Here's the color and pattern combination for set #1...

The key for mixing different patterns is by having one big bold pattern, and having another one in a smaller scale. By doing so, the print won't clash, and just compliment each other nicely.

I chose a white bedspread to provide balance with all the colors going on.

I love how all the bright colors look against the dark "wall" (get use to it, I'll always refer to this curtain as a wall with quotation! haha). I can't wait to finish the artwork above the bed, if only I can choose which one I will make! Check out the options here.

Since the lamps are placed higher compared to a regular nightstand, the pole is visible on eye level. I'm hoping to buy a bigger shade to update the look.

I've seen a lot of Apartment therapy house tours, it's one of my inspiration source since I get to see houses of real people. You know those kind who has your average joe's budget, and has real stuff lying around. You can read their inspirations and design decisions that a lot of us can really relate to.

This one house caught my eyes BIG time. I can relate to this house alright. And I can even relate to Joi, the owner and talented mind behind this space. All this gorgeousness was done under a tight budget, but she still infuses a lot of fun and bright things which doesn't look like some scrimping even took place.

So why is this house calling my name? Here's the breakdown...

1) Fun bright patterns everywhere

The rug and all her throw pillow doesn't match, but they go together really well.

I need those disc hangers! I want to do this plate gallery in our kitchen but can't find those hangers here.

2) Frame gallery

I'm pretty sure I've established the fact that I have a fascination with frame galleries. Want proof? See here.

I find myself loving most of yellow and grey rooms I see around, it even got its own appearance on our home.

6) Pillow with borders

Both of my new bedding set thanks to Divi fabrics will have borders. It just adds a graphic element without being too overwhelming.

7) Ornate mirrors

I love any ornate details, especially in frames and mirrors! I'm lucky to have old pieces of furniture in our house that have those -the vanity and entry mirror. In my future house (Oh please God, help me achieve that dream!) I'm sure you'll see a lot of painted ornate stuff.

Do you now get why out of all the house tours on AT, this one stands out for me? It's very much ME. I also spent hours devouring over Joi's blog, if you love her home, you'll love her blog too!

I need to go now, I'll be painting and day dreaming that someday I'll have a house tour of my own.

You've seen my somewhat successful attempt on my curtain wall. And now, I need a huge colorful art to go over it to balance the tall "bedside tables."

The original plan was to hang an ornate coral frame behind the bed, but I don't think it will be enough, and besides, I need to cover those whitish spots on the curtain! Since I love the look of anything ornate, I'd probably just put the frame (that I still don't have!) over the secretary.

I photoshopped four possible artworks I can DIY and hang behind the bed.

1) Stained glass look

This is my first thought, easy DIY artwork. Layout some masking / painter's tape, and paint over it with any color you want. Instant art.

2) Chevron

Then I realized that I can be a little bit more creative. I've been in love with chevron since I first saw it (aren't we all?), so why not do it as an art? A hand-painted look rather than the perfect one, just because it's easier! I also adore silhouette birds, so I added a little tribute to my runaway bird, Larry. Though I put two birds so she doesn't look lonely. :) (YES, Larry is a girl)

3) Water color strips

I also love the artsy look of water color designs. Here's a zebra-ish, colorful stripe option for my DIY art.

4) Water color overlap

Have you seen those fabric and pillows that have a water color effect by overlapping different colors that is opaque which resulted to another color between the two overlapped colors? I know, confusing. I reread that sentence thrice and I'm still confused. Haha.. But tell me you somewhat understand what I mean? Maybe I can achieve this look by thinning the paint? I hope!

So now, I'm asking you to help me. AGAIN. If you you are to choose between these 4 designs, which is your favorite look? I'm really excited to get started on this project, but I want to hear your thoughts, I love them all! :)

If you're wondering how I will hang the artworks, I bought two thin lightweight card boards and will probably just "pin" it on the curtain. I love that I can treat this curtain as a large memo board! Oh, and have you noticed that I incorporated bedding look number 1? Just needed to be sure that any artwork will look nice with the bedding's pattern.

Oh, Larry the bird and company silhouette will surely be on the artwork even if artwork #1 doesn't have them. I'm planning to just use a sharpie to draw them.

Leave your thoughts, 1, 2, 3, or 4?

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Speaking of birds, I took the plunge and joined twitter! Can you all, my lovely friends, join me there too? :) Thanks!

Anne-Marie of 10Rooms ask me to participate on her Crushing on Color series. If you are a reader of this blog, you probably know that I love a LOT of colors. So I decided to share my favorite colors "history" on her series. Do check it out here.

Do you remember the bedroom plans? Dark accent wall, pops of bright coral and turquoise, fun print and pattern, simpler curtain for one window, and a curtain faux wall behind the bed.

Yep, that's the plan. Just a few steps closer to making those into reality. My own decor (day)dream to reality story. Today the star of the show is the faux wall I've been rambling about. Though it had quite a few glitches, I'm quite happy with how it turned out. QUITE.

I had a canvas fabric sewn by my infamous Yaya Tas, and I painted it the same color as my wall. The thing that I didn't see coming is that painting a huge fabric without one flat surface will actually be visible on the outcome.

You see, I painted section by section, causing a fold on wet newly painted fabric, which resulted to some white blotches to this very dark curtain. Uh oh. But I carried on thinking it might not be that obvious once hung.

The fake moulding is then added using a bias tape. I had that 8 yards of bias from way back. I thought it was enough for two fake moulding.

I'm wrong. So I rethink the project and just added a big one to frame the bed.

Here's my curtain faux wall:

It would have been perfect without those unsightly white spots! I don't understand why the middle seam has a visible whitish line, but the side seams are flawless. Oh well...

I'm hoping that after I hang bright arts over that curtain wall, those oops moments will be less noticeable.

There you go-- the story of my QUITE happiness over this project.

P.S. I'm now wondering why I just didn't purchase a fabric with that wall color. I thought it would be easier to paint it, than search for an exact shade. Lesson learned. :)

P.P.S. Sorry for all the crappy night shots, I couldn't shoot this one on daylight 'cos the sun shows through the curtain wall. I'll be putting thin boards behind the window to completely block the sun on daylight to achieve a more realistic "wall."

According to Alaina of LCY, this is the unstyled any-ordinary-day version of her home office. Umm, I'll take your unstyled HO any day compared to my little corner of the bedroom so-called office even if it's styled by the pro! (My secretary, I love you still! I just hope you have a room of your own.)

I also love that her accent dark wall resembles my newly painted bedroom wall. It's just great to see inspirations like this that is sooo real life and doable.

Hop over her blog to see all of this space, and check out here whole house too, I'm sure you'll love it!

No, I'm not talking about my skin. Though I'd like to be whiter, NOT fairer, but whiter. I'm too yellow! And I'm not being racist to my own descent. I'm actually a lot yellower than most people here. I think when I got sick from hepa-A ten years ago, I didn't go back to my real color. Haha, but I'm not kidding.

Anyway, I'm sorry I tend to babble around random thoughts before actually going to the point. What's wrong with me??

Another anyway, here's what's the whitening is all about. I bought the most favorite tool of all diy blog people, white spray paint, and picked three random things in my room that needed a fresh coat.

As much as I love bright colors, the whites are a nice balance to offset all the crazy brights, and I love that it looks graphic against the dark walls.

Faux curtain wall, UP NEXT!

P.S. Yes, I love to color my nails too. But nowadays the only coloring they get are from actual paint. I think I need to buy myself a gloves for projects so I can enjoy my two favorite things, painting stuff and painting nails! (This is another post-rambling about unrelated stuff. What can I say? I love to share.)

Do you have a new love of your life every single day? I have! I'm not talking about men of course, I'm one loyal gal! Haha. I'm talking about rooms! I fall in love with different spaces I see daily. And this one is true love! One-whole-apartment-love.

If you love grey, girly, and glamorous, this one is for you! A combination of french, rustic, feminine, and some high drama, I can't help but stare and dream, that someday I'll have some beauty like this one.

HELLO

Hello, this is Elle Uy from Manila Philippines.

Decor Me Happy is a chronicle of my work as a decorator, our life in the "Tiny" house, endless design inspiration, and a place to share my mostly chaotic thoughts about my pursuit of happy homes and the randomness that is called life.

*Photos on this site are either the author's own or from the web. Photos taken from elsewhere are credited but unfortunately, some sources can't be tracked. If you found your photo posted here and wants proper credit or wants it taken down, please let me know via email.

Feel free to use my photos on your blogs, all I ask are proper credit and link back to this site. Thank you.